Truth and Lies
by CabinFever
Summary: Thranduil enjoyed a challenge as much as he enjoyed his immortal life. When one is presented to him on a silver plate how could he refuse? Eventual Thranduil/OC. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, lovely people! Here's my shot at a Thranduil/OC story. Please give it a try ^^ I promise I won't disappoint. Please review to tell me what you think.  
**

* * *

It was raining that day. However, it did not prevent Thranduil, son of Oropher, to proceed with his usual hours of hunting. It was a recent pleasure he had come to embrace as the inevitable boredom of immortality took its toll. He proud himself of being a very patient elf despite what others might think.

His son Legolas had not joined him this time as he was scouting Mirkwood with some sentinels. The woods would rarely be invaded these days as he made sure to keep it that way with any means of security.

The king wore a simple attire that would allow his movements more fluidity as he climbed as ran freely throughout his lands. He did not appreciate the typical bow as his son did hence the choice of a dagger that he could easily throw at his targets with such swiftness that made him one of the fastest hunters among his people. Some of his closest guards would often state that his skill was truly impressive and worthy of respect. He did not care if it was just something they would say to please him. He cared not for such actions. If, at noon, he had three or four stags to bring home, that would satisfy him beyond any words.

His long light blond hair was tied up in an elegant knot allowing it to cascade down his back and he could feel it weight increasing as the rain soaked it. The dagger he used had been a present from Legolas and he held it dearly to his side as his light blue eyes scanned the area for any movements. Thranduil would hunt alone to avoid any burdens as he hunt and would only take his son with him, for his skills would equal his own.

The rain curtain thickened and he considered the possibility of returning as his eyes could not distinguish much. He allowed himself to perch near a fallen tree, keeping his dagger resting in his right hand. Instead of forcing his eyesight to distinguish anything beyond the haze, he took a moment to meditate and embrace his surroundings. Some birds chirped nearby even though the heavy rain had most likely spoiled their day. Some leaves cracked as a squirrel took its time to search for some food. Thranduil couldn't stop but to smile lightly at nature's innocence. It truly amazed him and he was positive the love he nurtured for it was as pure as any water running in the Woodland Realm.

Sighing, he admitted defeat as the water invaded his whole body making it hard for him to carry on his quest. As he rose to his feet, he heard some branches crack nearby. The king assumed a defensive pose as the sound grew near. The dagger he had previously cased in his belt was soon retrieved. With a final crack Legolas emerged followed by two sentinels. He immediately detected apprehension splattered across the young elf's features.

"What is it?" Thranduil inquired, returning to his usual pose, incasing his dagger once more.

Legolas halted just an arm's length away. "We found a woman near our border, father. She hails from Lake-town."

Even though Thranduil kept peace with that community of men, he had no desire for one of them to suddenly roam freely across his lands. And a woman, nonetheless.

"Did she name her intentions?"

He shook his head, trying to keep the rain from falling on his face. "She said she had no intentions in coming here and pleaded that we would let her continue her journey."´

"So she was returning to Lake-town?"

"No, father," Legolas answered promptly. "She was fleeing from it, it seems."

At this, Thranduil rose a brow. "_Fleeing_? Where to?"

"She refuses to tell us more," he said, frowning slightly. Thranduil knew his son had a way with getting people to talk, so seeing that he couldn't gather anything from this woman let him disappointed. "It would be better to have something else forcing her to speak, father."

He knew exactly what he meant. Over the years, the elvenking had gained the reputation of being unforgiving and cruel to those who dared crossing him. He had his ways of getting exactly what he wanted even though they wouldn't work every time. Said reputation was, in his opinion, an exaggeration of what he truly was and that made him look too scary to foreigners.

Not waiting one more second, he started pacing as Legolas and the sentinels followed him without exchanging a word. Upon arriving to the palace, he halted, loosening his damp hair from the knot as some maidens approached with some simple towels to help him clean off the water excess. Without ceasing his actions, he turned around slightly to the sentinels. "Leave us."

The guards left at once leaving him only accompanied by Legolas and his maidens that were bringing in his robes. Once his hair regained some of his usual form, he started unbuttoning the vest that was meant to help him camouflage and after that he untied his linen shirt. Some water drops rolled down his pale chest and he took a glance at a young maiden whose face had gained a faint blush. In time, the maidens responsible for his attire had gained the ability of not letting him know their thoughts on him. However, this maiden was still young and had never seen him before without his magnificent robes put on. With one final push, his vests fell from his torso, leaving him only clothed from the waist down.

Everyone knew how vain he was and how he adored to dress the best robes, but today he felt like wearing something simple and discrete, so he glanced around at what his maidens had brought and saw a faint blue robe that pleased his eyes.

He purposely made sure that young maiden was the one to dress him and as he looked at his son he noticed his patience grew thin. "Bring her to me, Legolas."

* * *

Nelim knew she was in deep trouble. Well, not as much as she had been a few hours ago, but ending up near Mirkwood hadn't been part of her plans.

With only a quarter of a century of age, Nelim was considered average at best back in Lake-town. Her features were common: long black hair that fell bluntly over her shoulder; pale skin that would often be the reason of laughter among young ladies and a body that was that of a fully developed woman. The only thing that stood out were her big olive eyes that she didn't like. Everything else about her screamed average. However, it had been her actions that had led her to abandon her home at such a young age.

She ought to know better than to desire a man such as _him_. The worse thing wasn't the fact that he reciprocated some of her desperate actions. It was the fact that he had two daughters and the oldest was supposedly her close friend, Sigrid.

Bard the Bowman had won her heart, but it wasn't enough. Eventually, their secret meeting were found out and she disgraced her family by being the eldest daughter of a simple couple of farmers. Now that her reputation was damaged, she would never have the chance of a decent marriage to pride her mother and father. The shame was too much for her to bare and just a few hours ago she decided to leave town at the first ray of light and she did so.

She could still see Sigrid's eyes watered with rage and pain upon discovering everything. And Bard? Bard did what any man of his position would do, he carried on. The entire population turned against her and some even called her a witch that had bewitched him into liking her.

The right thing to do was to put an end to her life, but she couldn't even do that. Nelim was that typical frightened girl whose courage wasn't enough.

She had all of it planned: she'd flee to the west in the hope of finding some village where she could have a fresh start. Instead, she wound up in the very worst place she could imagine: the Woodland Realm ruled by the ruthless elvenking, Thranduil.

To add even more luck, she had been found by his equally ruthless son, Legolas. He didn't even let her move when he spotted her looking at the enormous trees. Legolas appeared to be different as he could have easily killed her when she refused to tell him her motives from abandoning Lake-town.

He chose to leave her fate in the hands of the one elf she dared not look upon.

Nelim had been waiting for someone to tell her what going to happen to her, since she had been left just outside the enormous palace with two guards. Soon enough, the prince returned. "Accompany me, if you may."

She vaguely wondered why some men had the need to scream to have their wishes granted while theses elves would only need to speak a word and no one would contest them.

At least she was dressed decent enough with a white dress by the knees whose stains of dirt would not come off even with the rain falling on it. She was soaking wet and was pleased to finally enter the palace behind the prince.

Just as she set foot inside, Nelim was in awe. Its gigantic pillars towered over her and made her feel small. Too small. Her eyes roamed the place and she could see why elves were considered to have the best palaces throughout Middle Earth.

As she was lost in her thoughts, Nelim almost bumped into Legolas since he had abruptly stopped. And she knew why.

He stepped out of her way leaving her to be seen by the king himself. Honestly, the tales she had heard of him didn't do him justice. She heard very bad things about them and some other things – mainly amongst women – that were beyond truth. His face was the one of a young man in his late thirties and the way his crown rested on his head suddenly made him look too young to be a king of such a vast realm. His hair was slightly darkened in some areas indicating it was wet. However, it didn't make him look sloppy. It was the robe he wore that made her eyes widen in astonishment. The sapphire blue was impressive and contrasted perfectly with his pale skin. The king's piercing blue eyes were set on her and she felt them roam her from head to toes.

Honestly, she expected to see anger in his face, but she saw… nothing. He looked calm and she spotted a brief smile which made him look like a kind person. Both his arms rested on either side of his throne and he truly looked relaxed.

"Welcome, young one," he started, not moving one inch from where he sat. "Is there something you wish to tell me?"

Nelim didn't know what to answer, so she entwined her hands behind her back. "My lord, I do wish one thing, yes. I have done no harm. I wish to continue my path."

"And what path is that?"

She would not tell him the truth. She couldn't. It would be too embarrassing and he had no right to question her. "With all due respect, I keep that to myself."

The king laughed mildly at her impertinence. "_You _were the one to enter _my _realm, young one."

"I did not enter," Nelim said, defending herself. "I was at the border, my lord."

"That is irrelevant," he answered, waving one hand dismissively. "What led you to flee from your people?"

She wouldn't tell the truth which meant she would have to lie. To an elf… to the king.

"I have this disease…" she informed, letting her features darken as she spoke. "For that, I was cast out, my lord."

The king shifted in his seat and she could spot a spike of interest in his face. "What disease, young one?"

What would she say now? If she continue to hesitate he would notice. "Everyone who touches me, dies."


	2. Chapter 2

**I have decided to include Tauriel in the story as a friend of Legolas. I know she was the result of Peter Jackson's mind, but even though I did not appreciate her much in the movie, I decided to give her a try in my story. To those who do not like her, I can assure you her part here is minor and will not affect the story. If you have any desires on what I can do with her, tell me ^^ please enjoy and review!**

Her statement generated some murmurs to echo in the halls of the palace. Nelim felt some guards move uncomfortably beside her and wondered how long it would take for Thranduil to order her execution. Honestly, she didn't know why she had said such a thing and now wasn't sure it had been a better choice rather than telling the truth.

Crossing lakes in her little fishing boat wouldn't compare to the mess she put herself into.

Nelim had her head bent to avoid the heavy look the king was giving her.

"If that were true, my son Legolas would have dropped dead the moment he brought you in," he merely stated, destroying the little hope that lie had given her. "For that, I think that is not the reason why you have left Lake-town."

She dragged her gaze reluctantly to the elf before her and saw his fine face twisted into something strange. Amusement. It surely didn't suit him seeing that his face seemed to have been made to be static. She didn't have a way with words that could aid her in that precise moment.

Silence fell on the hall again as the king's piercing eyes laid directly on hers as if trying to read her mind. Actually, she didn't even doubt he possessed that power being such a significant elf. Nelim broke eye contact and cleared her throat, summoning some strength. "Very well, my lord. I was not telling the truth, but I refuse to do so seeing it is a personal matter."

"A personal matter?" Thranduil repeated her words softly. "Should I send word of this to the master of your town, young one?"

At that, the young woman felt her heart clench. If this reached out to the master, she would once more humiliate her family. They would think she resorted to the elves for mercy. Yes, Nelim was a coward, but in this moment she decided to put that aside. "There is no need. My allegiance to Lake-town has ended the moment I left it in my boat. Could I just leave, please? I mean your land no harm. I am sorry to have wasted your time-"

"My time?" He immediately interrupted, gathering the eyes of every elf to him. "I have all the time in the world, young one. At best, humans can live up to 80 years. However, 80 years to us are mere seconds. You wasted _your_ time in coming here."

"I did not come here. I was forced to enter your realm." She then shot a look at the prince whose presumptuous face was locked on hers. "I had never done the path through the lake. I was lost. Your guards can confirm that when I was found I had not left the boat and made no attempt to enter Mirkwood."

Without answering her, the king rose to his feet with such elegance that Nelim had to mentally slap herself from staring at him as he did so. She had never seen an elf before, let alone a king. However, she had heard of their magnificence and fine looks even though what Mirkwood elves had on appearance they lacked on forgiveness. Of course, all she had heard were tales and rumors, but she knew there was some truth to it.

The robe he wore cascaded perfectly down his lean body frame as did his long hair. He was taller than any man she had ever laid eyes upon. His presence alone demanded respect. It did not take long before he looked at her sideways, only letting half his face visible to her. "The only reason your town has not yet fallen to the power of evil is because I allow it so. Enemies swarm these lands and are ever so trying to reach out to men domains," he paused, lacing his hands behind his back. "I hold Lake-town in consideration due to our previous entanglements. It is a town of kind and hard-working people. So you can imagine my suspicion when you carelessly say that you have disposed of your allegiance to it. What could they possibly have done to stir such a feeling in a young woman?"

_It was me!_ She wanted to say to him, but failed miserably as shame fell on her for the tenth time that day. Clenching her fists, Nelim inhaled deeply, feeling the air in her body calm her.

"When will you tell me the truth, young human?" Thranduil forced once more, never moving any muscle besides the ones he need to speak and breathe. "It leads him into assuming that you might have abandoned Lake-town as an act of despair. Treason, maybe?"

The girl felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes and had to fight back the urge to cry. No, she wouldn't give him that pleasure. He was clearly trying to reach her breaking point. The elvenking had a way with words like no other. His words were as daggers that buried in her each time he spoke.

There was no point in dragging on this conversation. He had clearly made up his mind on what to do with her since he first laid eyes on her so why wait?

"Are you going to kill me?"

Much to her surprise, he turned on his heels and faced her fully with a smirk. "No, I will not. As you have so intelligently pointed out, you have done no harm and I highly doubt you will even try."

She nodded. "That is true, my lord."

"You will address me as 'my king' until I can give you better use."

Somehow, that statement made her feel uneasy, but she merely bowed her head in respect. At least, he had not lived up to the tales of merciless about his kin and had spared her… for now.

With one last look at her, he called for his son who joined his side in a blink of an eye. "Legolas, escort her to her chambers and make sure she is feeling comfortable enough."

* * *

The prince was literally dragging her by one arm throughout the outstanding halls of the palace. She felt her left arm pulsate in pain and with one violent pull she freed herself from him. "Will you just stop harming me like that?" Nelim pleaded as she saw anger flicker in the elf's eyes. "Please?"

She had been bold enough to talk to him like that and quite frankly, it felt good. Nelim knew they would kill her eventually. Of course elves such as these wouldn't want their home contaminated with human presence.

The way he was now looking at her made him resemble his father and she had to blink twice to make sure she wasn't gazing at the same eyes. Both stood still in a corridor far up and far away from the common area, if she could call it that. No elves could be seen there, but she really doubted no guards were there.

"Are you going to kill me with your touch, _human_?" He mocked, but did not grab her arm again. Instead, he looked around and spoke some words in his tongue and soon a girl appeared before them. She inclined her head at him and he answered likewise with a smile. "Tauriel, I knew I had spotted you nearby."

Her red waist-length hair was carefully combed into a simple manner that was probably meant to allow her some mobility. She worn some armor above her vests and had one dagger in each hand indicating she was a common elf. Nelim was truly jealous of how pretty she was and couldn't help but to frown slightly. This gathered the woman's attention. "What is it, human?"

She did not answer as she felt little in comparison to the two elves who were both staring down at her.

Legolas spoke some words to his fellow elf and left without even looking at her. It seemed she was bound to be guided by this Tauriel woman.

"Follow me."

Nelim did as told and continued pacing down the corridor behind the elf until they reached a small wooden door. Tauriel opened it with no effort and held the door as Nelim entered the room. Is she had been expecting a dungeon with rats for company she had been terribly wrong. It was a small room, yes, but was cozy. There was an enormous window that descended from the ceiling to the floor and had silver bars placed in its length clearly destined to prevent a certain human from escaping. She saw a tiny rounded table placed carefully at the center of the room with a bowl in the middle containing various fruits. Something else gathered her attention. The single bed placed against the wooden walls had to be the most elaborated one she had ever seen. Her bed would crawl in shame if it could see this one. She recognized the glow of satin placed over it and the wood was carved thoroughly. Some carpets decorated the walls and there were candles placed everywhere not yet lit seeing that the sun was still high outside.

She heard the elf chuckle near her. "Do you like what you see?"

The young girl regarded the room once more before answering. "I most definitely did not expect that."

Tauriel circled around the table and grabbed an apple in her hand as she placed her sharp dagger on the wooden surface. "Did you expect a cold and humid cell?"

"Yes."

Another smile crossed her face before taking a bite on the bright red apple. "That is not how the king of Mirkwood greets his guests."

Nelim cocked a brow at this. "Even the bad ones?"

"Those are sent to the dungeons," she rectified, examining the dagger she held in the other hand. The edge glimmered dangerously with each movement she made as if to remind Nelim what it could do if she failed to follow orders. "Those guests do not get this welcoming chamber for them."

"Then why do I?" Nelim couldn't help but to inquire, closing the door behind her.

Tauriel's imperative gaze descended on her. "I do not know, little human. But let me give this advice to you: whatever king Thranduil plans on doing with you, I would not cling on the hope that it might meet your interests. He is most certainly taking a risk in keeping you here since you are a deserter."

Nelim swallowed hard. "I mean no harm."

"Do you even think if you did you would be here?" Tauriel cased her daggers violently with a sharp metallic sound.

Her mouth went dry. This was it. "So you are going to kill me, then."

The elf's features softened and a playful look danced on her lips. "You would not be here either if that was the case."

Nelim shot a nervous look at the woman standing in front of her. Whatever they had planned for her wasn't good and she could feel it was something bad in the bottom of her heart. However, Tauriel did not linger in this matter for long and grabbed some towels that rested on a basket nearby. She then walked towards the human girl and placed them on her hands. "You stink, human. Behind that door," she pointed at a small wooden door across the room. "There is a room where you can bathe."

"Nelim."

"What?"

"My name is Nelim," she said simply. "Not 'human'."

Once more, the elf's face hardened. "You are correct. We should be addressed by our given name. My apologies."

Nelim did not expect that and immediately saw in Tauriel something different from what she had seen around here. All these elves seemed ruthless, but she saw things differently.

She took advantage of that little moment and drummed some fingers in the towels in her hand. "Do you know what the king intends to do with me? I would very much like to be on my way. I would not be a burden, then."

Tauriel lifted her chin just a bit with her light eyes roaming her face. "You are a curious human, Nelim. Most of all, you are afraid of what king Thranduil wants of you," she stated, making a very accurate profile of Nelim. "What do _you_ think he might do?"

Was this a test? "My first thought is that he might kill me."

"And your second thought?"

Nelim couldn't possible voice this thought, but she had heard of authority men who used their position to take advantage of their prisoners. It was a bold thought that she would not tell the elf.

"You think the king of the Woodland Realm is a common filth human that uses his power to get… _pleasure_?" The words left her mouth as if poison coated them. Nelim saw a dangerous look on the elf who had just read her mind once more and vaguely wondered if she could really do it. "We do not mix with other races and even if we did, we take one companion for life. If that companion passes away we will not take another for the sake of self-pleasure."

"I did not…"

"I know what you meant," Tauriel accused, closing the distance between them. "I could see the thought dangling in your eyes. Do not worry, _Nelim_. My king is not one of those you must be familiar with."

Nelim knew there was a threat somewhere in that sentence, but didn't have time to think of it as the elf strode off the room, locking the door behind her.


End file.
